1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus suitable for use as, for example, a video camera or a digital still camera.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, an image pickup apparatus is provided with a viewfinder which permits a photographer to confirm a status of photography.
In the recent trend of providing an image pickup apparatus with more functions and higher performance, a video camera has been becoming commercially popular which is provided with a large-size color liquid crystal display monitor for the purpose of improving visibility, in addition to an existing viewfinder type of EVF (electronic viewfinder).
In recent years, in the field of a video camera, a silver-halide camera, a digital still camera and the like, there have been provided many types of products which employ a wireless remote controller (hereinafter referred to as the remote controller) because of its usefulness and for the purpose of reducing the number of body-side switches per product so that the entire size of a product can be reduced. The body of such a product can be operated by transmitting a command from its remote controller to the body in the form of modulated infrared light, a frequency-modulated wave or the like.
In such a product, in order to increase transmission/reception sensitivity to signals such as modulated infrared light, it is usual that the directional angle of infrared light on the remote-controller side and the acceptance angle on the body side are made wide to some extent.
However, in the above-described prior art, the large-size image display monitor involves large power consumption, and even if the large-size image display monitor is not needed, for example, even if a photographer is looking through the viewfinder, wasteful power will be consumed if the large-size image display monitor is being driven. If the large-size image display monitor is to be driven or stopped, the photographer must intentionally operate a switch. However, during photography using the viewfinder, the photographer often forgets to stop the driving of the large-size image display monitor.
If the remote controller is employed, a number of problems will be encountered because the directional angle for receiving a signal transmitted from the remote controller is wide or because a command signal from the remote controller travels toward the body not only rectilinearly but also while being reflected by an obstacle such as wall. For example, when a plurality of persons are performing photography with their respective image pickup apparatus in the same place at the same time, if any one of them operates a remote controller, the image pickup apparatus of another person may receive a command from the remote controller and perform an unexpected operation.